How To Train the Wolf King – Accidentally Spending the Night Together and Triggering the Death Flag,

Chapter 34: Shadows over the Wolf King

The first thing she felt was a headache, followed by fatigue.

Her head, arms, fingers, and various parts of her body were numb and difficult to move.

Frowning in discomfort, Margaery reluctantly opened her heavy eyelids. Immediately, she coughed at the musty smell of dust.

‘Where is this?’ It was dimly lit and the air was bad. It felt like a basement. She could barely maintain her vision because of the small grated window near the ceiling that leaked light.

She had been kidnapped. As soon as she realized this fact, she wanted to scream, but managed to hold back. Anya had said before that it was important to maintain sanity in a crisis.

(Calm down. Stay calm, Margaery. You would have been more surprised if Yuri-sama was in front of you when you woke up, right?)

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Margaery, who had somehow regained her composure, looked around again.

She was in a rough stone room. It was too dark to see clearly, but it didn’t seem very spacious.

Straw was piled up in the corner of the room, and Margaery was lying on top of it. She was still wearing the dress Julius had given her. Her hands and feet were tied, but her mouth was not gagged. She wasn’t injured. Yes, she was okay.

(The necklace Yuri-sama gave me. . .it’s safe, but I can’t touch it.)

She felt relieved at the sparkling necklace on her chest. Even in this situation, it lightened her heart to know that there was something connecting her and him.

However, if the necklace is still safe, then it might not be a kidnapping for ransom. The fact that she was taken while alone in her room suggests a planned crime.

(Come to think of it, didn’t Otou-sama mention that there’s a dungeon in Loire Castle?)

It’s a makeshift prison for intruders or prisoners. It’s a room that remains as a remnant of when Loire Castle functioned as a military base, although it’s not usually used.

It’s unclear how much time has passed since she lost consciousness, but the light shining through the window suggests it’s daytime. It wouldn’t be easy to take a girl out in broad daylight like this. It’s safe to assume that she’s been locked up in an unused dungeon in the castle.

As she was thinking about this, dry applause and a sticky voice echoed from the dim room.

“Have you woken up, Miss Margaery De Noel? As expected of Jordan’s daughter. Even in this situation, you are beautiful.”

Margaery was startled and looked up. She hadn’t heard any footsteps. Had they been lurking in the darkness, waiting for their prey like a snake?

The sound of clothes rustling and a clatter as the dungeon door opened. Margaery’s eyes widened at the person who appeared calmly in the light along with their footsteps.

“Minister Freed. . .?”

It was the Foreign Minister of the Legrand Kingdom and the younger brother of the Queen Mother――Lucius Freed, the man who caused the rift between Julius and Serge about a month and a half ago.

Freed clapped his hands happily at Margaery’s puzzled expression.

“Excellent answer. As expected, you know well.”

“What do you mean? Why are you asking this?”

Ignoring the cheerful minister, Margaery furrowed her well-shaped eyebrows. A single drop of sweat ran down her forehead.

For some reason, the minister today felt different. He was a typical small-minded person who could only bark behind the scenes. When she casually asked about Julius’ incident, her father had said the same thing.

However, what about the man in front of her? He had a plump body and a solid posture, and his expression showed an unreadable ease as he looked at her with a cheerful gaze.

Freed’s presence reminded her that he was the younger brother of Queen Titania, and even though he was at the bottom of the royal family, he still had the dignity of being a prince of the neighboring country, the Agrina Kingdom.

Freed maintained a gentlemanly attitude, which made him even more eerie. The minister put his hand on his chest respectfully, as Margaery became more cautious.

“Why? Do I have an obligation to explain that to you? …No. You can just be a captive princess. A pitiful sacrifice to bury the wolf.”

“I hate beating around the bush.”

Suddenly, Margaery burst out laughing. In that moment, she searched for a way to resolve the situation in her head.

Where was this place? What was the aim? Was there a way to escape? How could she contact the outside? She had to extract some information. Something.

While desperately thinking, she smiled confidently at the minister.

“You also want me to ask, don’t you? What you’re planning. What will happen next? That’s why you waited for me to wake up, right?”

“Heh, hehe. Good. Very good. You are too wonderful.”

Freed chuckled a little.

While laughing, the minister spread his arms. His round glasses shone white in the faint sunlight. Peering through the glasses with eyes filled with pleasure, the minister twisted his lips and answered.

“Very well. In recognition of your courage and nobility, I will tell you. It’s about my long-cherished desire, the plan to exterminate the detestable wolf!”

Let’s go back 24 years.

When Princess Titania of neighboring country Agrina came to the Legrand Kingdom as a bride, the two countries exchanged secret missions.

It was a plan to form a military alliance in the near future and attack the small principality of Kenneth, which bordered both countries. 

The reason was the cursed land spanning the three countries, the Valley of Lamentation. Powerful magical resources were discovered there, where the first Wolf King had sealed the “Spirits of Calamity.”

The Valley of Lamentation was designated as a forbidden territory and a no-man’s land by the three countries. 

They agreed not to enter or touch it, and to seal it again if the calamity were to awaken, watching carefully for any abnormalities in the seal.

Agrina broke that agreement. They formed a team of magicians and sent them to the Valley of Lamentation.

The stones they brought back were imbued with powerful magic, even in the tiniest of fragments. It was unclear whether it was due to the spirits sleeping in that land or the power of the Wolf King who sealed them. What was important was that the land was a treasure trove of incredibly powerful magic stones.

Agrina rejoiced and immediately sent mining teams to extract all the magic stones they could. 

However, there was a problem: the Kenneth Principality.

Although smaller in size, the Kenneth Principality was a magical country where most of the people possessed magic. It was also the country that strongly advocated not entering the Valley of Lamentation. If Agrina began full-scale mining, interference from the Kenneth Principality could not be avoided.

That’s when Agrina set its sights on another neighboring country, the Kingdom of Legrand.

Perhaps due to the pride of the first Wolf King who defeated the spirits and the reassurance that a new Wolf King would be born periodically, there was surprisingly little aversion to the Valley of Lamentation in the Kingdom of Legrand.

The previous king accepted Agrina’s proposal. The two countries secretly swore to destroy the Kenneth Principality and share the territory, resources, and above all, the magic stones sleeping in the Valley of Lamentation.

However, in the midst of the preparations for the secret invasion of Kenneth, a prince with the power of the Wolf King, Julius, was born.

Due to the sudden issue of a successor, the previous king put the invasion on hold. While this was happening, he fell ill and passed away without making any progress. Julius, who became the next king, opposed the invasion of Kenneth and broke the agreement with Agrina.

This was the part of “Cinderella Suddenly” that had been told so far.

“I’ve always been resentful.”

Freed gritted his teeth and spat out the words.

“Titania-sama. . .my older sister, threw herself into marriage for the sake of the agreement between Agrina and this country. Otherwise, who would have offered themselves to the previous king? He was a rough, arrogant, gluttonous man. He was unbearable.”

Julius trampled on that determination. With eyes burning with hatred, Freed twisted his lips.

“The legitimate successor who inherited the power of the black-haired wolf. . .my poor sister. Despite being born from the belly of a woman of unknown origin, his existence caused so much suffering for my sister.”

“Wait, are you saying that you sent assassins when His Majesty was young?”

Margaery interjected, surprised. Freed clapped his hands happily.

“Exactly! You catch on quickly. Yes, it was me. I sent assassins to that detestable wolf child many times. Many, many times, I tried to kill him!”

But he couldn’t kill him. Freed sighed deeply, looking disappointed.

However, behind his round glasses, his cruel smile remained unchanged.

“So I changed my plan. If I can’t kill him, I’ll make him self-destruct. ――The stage is set, and now I just have to wait for the fuse that will lead the wolf steadily to its death. And I finally found that last piece.”

That’s you, Miss Margaery De Noel.”